Method of sterilizing bottles.



E. ZAHM. METHOD OF STERILIZING BOTTLES. APPLICATION, FILED FEB. 24, 1912. RBNEWHQ MAY 28, 1914.

1,1 08,539. Patented Aug. 25, 1914.

2 SHEETSBHEBT 1.

E. ZAH'M. METHOD OF STERILIZINQ BOTTLI ZS APPLIUATIO'N FILED FEB. 24, 1912. RENEWED MAY 28, 1914. 1 08,5 3-

PatentedAug. 25, 19M

ZBHBETfi-BHEBT 2.

e EDWARD ZAIEIMZ, OF BUFFALO,

UNITED STATES PATENQZ OFFICE. 1

' COMPANY, OF BUFFALO,

NEW YORK, ASSIGNO'R T0 ZA-HK MAIlUF-LCTUBIHG NEW YORK, A GOBIPOBAJTIQN OF NEW IOBZK.

METHOD OF STERI LIZING BOTTLEFS.

Application filed February 24,

, Specification of Letters Yatent. 1912, Serial No. 679,604. Renewed May 28, 1914. Serial No.. 811,651.

Patented Aug. 25, 1914.

To all whom it may concern vBe it known that I, EDWARD ZAHM, a'

,citizen of the United States, residing at by the ordinary methods and before the same are filled with-the liquid which is to be packed or bottled.

In the case of beer bottles or similar bottles which are used repeatedly the same are usually'cleaned after they are emptied of their contents and before being again filled, this cleaning being usually done bydevices which comprise soaking and brushing mechanism in which alkaline solutions andwater are. employed. VVhil-e such devices may be effective in removing ordinary dirt or run desirable matter from the bottles, they are objectionable on account of the liability of transmitting germs from an infected bottle to other bottles which were previously not infected by such germs, the result, in the case of bottling beer, being that numerous bottles are thus liable to become infected and prevent the beer packed in the same from keeping a desirable length of time and without beginning to ferment and becoming cloudy.

It is the purpose of this invention to provide a method for finally treating bottles for packing beer and similar liquids which will permit of rendering all of the bottles perfectly free from living microorganisms which cause the beer to. become turbid or sour.

In the accompanying drawings consisting of 2 sheets: figure 1 represents a vertical loirigitudinal section of an apparatus em bodying my invention and suitable for use in practising my improved method for sterilizing bottles. Fig. 2 is a fragmentary front elevation of the upper part of a ma chine. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section thereof in line 3-3, Fig. 1..

Similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

Although my improved apparatus for treating bottles so as to render them sterile before they are filled with the liquid to be cated at the bottom of the tank. of the tank is arranged an upright bottle packed may be variously constructed that which is shown in the drawings, as an example, is suitable and is constructed as follows: Within an inclosing casing l is a sterilizing tank 2 which is arranged upright in the central part of the machine and which 1s adapted to contain a body of sterilizing liquid such as hot water heated to a temperature of 140 Fahrenheit or more so as to destroy any microorganism such. as yeast cells which may be present on the bottles immersed inthis liquid. lhis sterilizing tank is provided with a transverse partition 3 arranged vertically in the central part of same and terminating short of the lower end thereof and dividing the same into a do scending log a in the front part of the tank,

and an ascending leg 5 in the rear part of the tank which communicates at its lower pend with the lower end of the descending eg. from the floor or other support so as to form a horizontal longitudinal return passage 6 underneath the tank. The water or other sterilizing liquid may be supplied to the tank 2 by any suitable means, for instance, by means of a pipe 7 which is shown in Figs. 1 and 2", and which contains a valve 8, as shown in Fig. 2, and the same may be heated and maintained at the desired temperature by means of live steam, for instance as shown by perforated steam pipes 50 lo- In front receiving air passage 10 which communicates at its upper end with the upper end of the descending leg of the tank'while its lower end communicates with the front end of the return passage and also opens forwardly to the atmosphere for a purpose which will appear presently. ln rear of the tank is arranged an nn'ight bottle delivery air passage 11 which communicates at itsupper end with the upper end of the ascending leg of the tank while its lower end communicates The lower end of the tank is raised with the rear end of the return passage and also opens rearwardly to the atmosphere for purposes to be presently described.

An endless carrier for the bottles to be sterilized is provided for carrying the same sides of the lower the casing, and a plurality of horizontal holders or racks 13 which connect the chain belts at suitable intervals. This endless carrier is arranged to form an upright stretch which moves upwardly through the front air passage, a descending rear stretch which moves downwardly through the rear air passage, and a horizontal lower stretch which moves forwardly through the return passage. As the belts of the carrier pass from the upper end of the front air passage downwardly into the front leg of the tank they turn around upper front supporting sprocket wheels or pulleys 14; which are mounted in any suitable manner, for instance, by securing the same to a horizontal shaft l5which is journaled transversely in bearings on the adjacent side walls of the casingand as these belts pass from the upper end of the rear leg of the tank clownwardly into the rear air passage they like wise turn over upper rear sprocket wheels or pulleys 16 which are mounted on a horizontal transverse shaft 17 journaled in suitable bearings on the side walls of the casing. As the carrier passes from the lower end of the rear air passage forwardly into the return passage itsbelts pass around lower rear supporting pulleys or sprocket wheels 18 mounted on the adjacent part of the side walls of the casing, and as this carrier passes from the return passage upwardly into the front air passage its chain belts pass around lower front supporting pulleys or sprocket wheels 19 mounted on the side walls of the casing. As the carrier passes from the lower end of the descending leg of the tank upwardly into the ascending leg thereof its chain belts pass around supporting pulleys or sprocket wheels 20 mounted on opposite. part of this tank. The.

endless carrier may be driven in any suitable manner, for instance, by means of a driving belt passing around a driving pulley 21 mounted on one end of the shaft of the upper rear sprocket Wheels, as shown in Fig.2.

The holders of the carrier are constructed to receive the bottles which are to be sterilized and to reliably support the. same while the carrier is moving through the air passages, and the legs of the tank. The form of holder shown in the drawings is designed to support a row of bottles on the carrier and for this purpose this holder is rigidly attached at its opposite ends'to the two belts of the carrier and provided with a plurality of pockets or cells each of which is arranged at an angle or inclined relatively to the direction of movement of the carrier and is open at its front and rear ends.

The ar- I rangement of these pockets or cells is such reversed so that their front ends are ar-v ranged lowermost and the rear ends thereof uppermost.

The front ends, of the pockets inthe holders are, wide open and the bottles to be treated or sterilized are inserted into the same neck foremost by the attendant while the carrier is passing the open lower end of the front air passage so that the bottles as they move upwardly through this air passage are arranged with their necks projecting downwardly and their bottoms facing upwardly. In order to prevent the bottles from escaping at the rear ends of the pockets these ends are provided with stop devices .Which are Preferably formed by means of an inward projection 22 on the rear part of each pocket which is engaged by the breast of the bottle and therefore confines each bottle in its pocket while the respective holder is moving upwardly in the machine, as represented in the upwardly moving stretch of the' carrier at the left hand side of Fig. 1. As the inclination of the holders is reversed while moving downwardly in the descending leg of the tank and the rear air passage the bottles are confined in the pockets of the holders by engaging their bottoms with the front side of the partition in the tank and a downward extension 60 thereof forming a guide, and with the rear or outer wall 23 of the rear air passage.

After the attendant fills one of the holders or racks with a row of bottles in the inan ner described these bottles are carried upwardly through the front air passage, thence downwardlythrough the descending leg of the tank, thence upwardly through the ascending leg of the tank and thence downwardly through the rear air passage. As thebottles move downwardly through the descending leg of the tank with their necks uppermost the same become filled with the sterilizing liquid contained in the tank and remain filled with such liquid while moving upwardly through the greater part of the ascending leg of the tank. But after the bottles are lifted above the level of the liquid in the ascending leg of the tank the liquid contained in the bottles is dis charged therefrom and returned to the tank owing to the bottles at this time being arranged with their necks lowermost. The movement of the carrier is so timed that the bottles will be submerged and filled with the sterilizing liquid a suiiicient length of time to sterilize the bottles, and also to enable the bottles to completely empty them selves of this sterilizing liquidbefore de scending' through the rear air passage of the machine. The lower edge of the rear wall or outer wall 23 of the rear air passage terminates some distance above the lower end of the rear descendingstretch of the carrier. At a suitable distance below this edge of said wall is arranged a receiving table 24: which inclines from its upper front end downwardly to its lower rear end. By this means the support for the bottoms of the bottles which is furnished by the rear wall 23 of the rear air passage and which confines these bottles in their pockets is removed 'the;insta nt the bottles pass below the lower edge of this wall, thereby permit.- ting these bottles to slide by gravity out of their pockets in the holders and upon the inclined receiving tables from which they are'subsequently taken by the attendant and presented to -the :filling machine whichoperan ates to fill the bottles with beer or other; liquid commodiiywhich is to he bottled or packed. After-the pockets-have discharged the sterilized bottles onthe receiving table they. move forwardly empty through the 25 return passage preparatory to being again loaded with .unsteriliaed-bottles.

ltfhas been foundzin practice that it is not practical to submerge bottles in a liquid of a sufiiciently high temperature to ea eifect sterilization immediately after the same have been exposed to ordinary temperature, inasmuch as the bottles are liable to be-crackedif this is done. it isalso necessary tocool "the-bottles after the same arev taken out of the sterilizing liquid in order to enable the attendants to handle the same and alsotoprevent-the bottles from becoming cracked when filled immediately thereafter with a liquid which is of considz ocrablylowertem erat'ure. To obviate this cracking of the ottles and enable the at-. tendants to transfer the sameconveniently from 'this treating..machine.to the filling machine meansare provided for subjecting the bottles to a body. of heatedair between the time that they are placed intthe4 holders; and the time that they enter thesterilizing liquid .and also to subject-the bottles .to a body of: cooling air between the time that they leavethe sterilizing liquidand the time "that theyare discharged from "the machine. The preferred means shown in thedrawings heating of the bottles before entering the sterilizing liquid and also effecting the cooling of thesame after leaving the liquid are constructed as follows: I

25 represents a fan orair zprepeller which is preferably arranged abovsthe, inclosing;

case of-the machine and which may: be of; any suitable construction, for instance of that type having a easing into whichthe air is drawn intothe eye at the center of. the fan casing and discharged tangentially 5 therefrom througha spent at the periphery.

for effecting this preliminary or partialy of said casing. The partition which divides the tank into ascending and descending legs extends to the top of the casing of the machine so as to form a complete separation of the space between .the upper ends of the front air passage and descending leg of the tank and the space at the upper end of the ascending leg of the tank and the rear air passage and this partition is so constructed as to form a descending air passage 26 which communicates at. its upper endwith the outlet or spout of the fan casing and an ascending air leg 27 which communicates at its lower end withthe ower end of the descending air leg and at its upper end with the space at the upper end of he descending liquid leg and the front air passage The eye of the fan caseis connected by means of a branch pipe 28 with the space at the upper end of the ascending. liqpid leg and the rear air passage.

he air passes from the external atmos 'phere into the lower end of the rear air passage, thence over the upper end of the 'rear tank leg and thence to the eye of the fan, thereby producing a current of air which moves in contact with the bottles after they have left the sterilizing liquid and in a direction opposite to the movement of-these bottles, whereby these bottles are gradually cooled from the time they leave the liquid until they reach the discharging position at the rear of the machine. In order to cause this cooling air to cool the bottles in the holder uniformly a bafiie29 is extended from the top of the casing in rear of the branch pipe 28 downwardly toward the rear side of the partition so as to form a narrow throat 51 whereby the air is prevented from concentrating in the rear air passage and compel the same to engage all of the bottles as they pass from the upper end of the ascending tank leg downwardly through the rear air passage. The air thus drawn into the eye of the fan and partially heated by the change of temperature with the bottles discharged from the sterilizing liquid maybe raised to a still higher temperature by discharging the air from the fan case through the spout thereof so that it passes downwardly and upwardly through the descending and ascending air legs, whereby the temperature of the air is raised owing to the lower parts ofthe air legs being submerged, in the heated sterilizing liquid. The heated air escaping from the ascending air vleg passes downwardly .through the front air passage and by coming in contact with the bottles rising :through his passage gradually heats the the heated air current move in opposite directions. 96,2"! after having-.been'heated during its passage through thesame by contact of the As theair issues from the conduit same oiungtothe fact that the same and I &

sterilizing liquid against the outer side of this passage 1t comnnngles with the vapors rising from the sterilizing liquid at the inlet end thereof, which mixture passes down wardly through the inlet passage 10 to the atmosphere in state of suspension or line uncondensed vapor or mist instead of being condensed, thereby causing the bottles movin upwardly in the passage 10 to be thoroughly and uniformly warmed or preliminarily heated before being immersed in the sterilizing liquid thereby preventing cracking of the same. Inasmuch as the bottles enter the sterilizing liquid in an upright position they become completely filled with the same and therefore thoroughly sterilized, and as the bottles leave the sterilizing liquid in an inverted position the sterilizing liquid is discharged therefrom preparatory to cooling the bottles.

For the purpose of enabling the amount of heated air which is utilized for raising the temperature of bottles preparatory to sterilizing the same to be regulated a main I valve 30 is arranged in the delivery spout of the fan case and the latter is provided adjacent to its spout and in rear of the latter with a by-pass or relief nozzle 31 containing a relief or auxiliary valve 32. lVhen it is desired to deliver more air from the fan for heating the bottles which are about to enter the sterilizing liquid the main valve 30 is opened and the relief valve is closed but when it is desired to reduce the amount of heated air supplied to such bottles the main valve is closed more or less and the relief valve is opened in the same measure. In addition to cooling the bottles by means of the current of external air passing upwardly through the rear air passage the final cooling 4 of the same may be effected preparatory to discharging the same upon the delivery table by means of water which is preferably sterilized, this water being preferably delivered upon the bottles in the form of a spray be fore they are discharged from the holders by means of a nozzle 33 constructed in the form of a perforated pipe arranged transversely in the rear wall-23 of the casing with its openings facing the bottle holders and connected with a water supply pipe 34 containing a valve 35 whereby the supply of water may be regulated.

By means'of this method and apparatus the bottles may be effectually sterilized before being filled with goods and without liability of breaking the bottles or inconveniencing the operator.

I claim as my invention:

1. The hereindescribed method of sterilizing bottles comprising passing the bottles th ough a current of heated vapor, then sing said bottles through heated water filling the bottles with the same, then the water from said bottles, and

[then passing the bottles through a cooling current of air without again bringing the same in contact with water.

2. The hereindescribed method of sterilizing bottles comprising passing the bottles through an inlet passage communicating with the atmosphere, then through a body of sterilizing liquid having a temperature of at least 140 degrees, Fahrenheit, and thence through an outlet passage communicating with the atmosphere, subjecting the bottles while passing through said outlet passage to the cooling action of a current of air drawn from the external atmosphere and through said outlet passage in a direction opposite to the direction of movement of the bottles, heating said air after engaging with the bottles in said outlet passage by passing the air in contact with the inner side of a conduit the outer side of which is in contact with said sterilizing liquid, mixing said air as it escapes from said conduit with the vapors rising from said sterilizing liquid, and delivering said mixture-of heated air and vapor through said inlet passage to the atmosphere and in a direction opposite to the direction of movement of the bot tles therein and in contact with the latter so as to heat the same preparatory to entering the sterilizing liquid without condensing the vapors in said inlet passage.

The hereindescribed method of sterilizing bottles comprising passing the bottles through a sterilizing liquid having a temperature of at least 140 degrees, Fahrenheit, heating a stream of air by passing the same in contact with the inner side of a conduit the outer side of which is in contact with said sterilizin licuid and deliverin said.

stream of air upon issuing from said conduit against said bottles before the latter enter said sterilizing liquid, said bottles entering said sterilizing liquidin an upright position so as to become filled therewith and leaving said liquid in an inverted position so as to discharge the same. therefrom.

l. The hereindescribed method of sterilizing bottles comprising passing the bottles through an inlet passage communicating with the atmosphere, then through a body of sterilizing liquid having a temperature of at least 140 degrees, Fahrenheit, and thence through an outlet passage communicating with the atn'iosphere, subjecting the bottles while passing through said outlet passage to the cooling action of a current of air drawn from the external atmosphere and through said outlet passage in a direction passage by passing 10 ing said sterilizing vapors rising from said sterilizing liquid, and delivering said mixture of heated air and vapor through said inlet passage to the atmosphere and in a direction opposite to the direction of movement of the bottles therein and in contact with the latter so as' to heat the same preparatory to entering the sterilizing liquid Without condensing the va-- pors in said inlet passage, said bottles enterliquid in an upright po- 'THEo. L. Porn, ANNA HEIGIS. 

